Home About Articles Gallery Contact
The Patriot Talon •

“Moments in Time That Define Who We Are: Resilience” by Abigail Smith - The Patriot Talon

I have never doubted the definition of Resilience; the ability to withstand and recover from difficulties has been the climax of my family’s biography before I was born.
I would be rich if I counted how often people have told me, “I think differently than those around me.”
The question is, when did that statement become my reality? What moment in time defined the shift in perspective?
My father’s kidneys began to fail the second he took his first breath, and in his words, ever since, he has been...
The Patriot Talon •

Former UT Tyler Student Faces Child Pornography, Sexual Assault Allegations - The Patriot Talon

By ABBY SMITH/Staff  Writer
Editor’s Note: This story deals with the topic of sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual harassment, reach out to UT Tyler’s Title IX office for free and to the UT Tyler Counseling Center, also for free.
A former UT Tyler student is the focus of a child pornography investigation after a search warrant of his residence and phone led Tyler police to find dozens of videos when he became a suspect in a sexual assault case involving a UT T...

A lost girlhood | TheDrumBeat.com

This photo essay was made to highlight the issue of sexual harassment and assault in the U.S. Each woman tells their story  in their own words and how it impacted their lives moving forward. 


Disclaimer: The DrumBeat was given permission by these women to use their photos, names and stories in this way. Some have chosen to remain anonymous for this article.


Anonymous, just 15.


“As my barely teen self begged for male attention from her crush, his friend saw an opportunity and took a piec...
The Patriot Talon •

Borrowed Time: Post Kidney Transplant, Man Relishes Life and Family - The Patriot Talon

By ABIGAIL SMITH/Staff Writer
At 11 years old, Kenny Smith was diagnosed with failing kidneys. At that time, he didn’t know the treacherous journey before him.
“I started having trouble as a kid. … I was peeing blood,” Smith said. “My mom took me to the hospital, and they did all these tests. We stayed all day, and then we left. They wanted to see me again, but my mom was a bit of a wild child. So she never took me back.”
Smith lives in Bullard. He spent his childhood and early adulthood as an a...

Tyler Junior College one of many universities to experience ‘swatting’ | TheDrumBeat.com

By Brooklyn Gundling and Abigail Smith


Colleges and high schools across the U.S. recently experienced incidents of false reports through 911 calls over the past few months. These calls vary, some claiming to be students who were shot, others a bomb threat, or in the case of TJC, a report of multiple shot and dead students on campus.


TJC was targeted by this type of hoax on April 13. At 10:52 a.m., the report of an active shooter was sent out to students, faculty and staff who were signed u...

A Court Miles from Home | TheDrumBeat.com

Play hard, win easy!


The Tyler Junior College Women’s Tennis team is no stranger to winning with multiple national titles under their belts.

However, the six women on the team were all strangers to East Texas before they wore white and gold.


“They’re looking for a way to better themselves, not just tennis-wise, but also academically, and TJC is a really great opportunity roulette casino for them to come and better themselves with their education,” Micah Avance, assistant tennis coach, sa...
The Patriot Talon •

Tyler Day Nursery Continues 90-Year Legacy of Caring - The Patriot Talon

By ABIGAIL SMITH/Staff Writer
The hum of a CD player filling the room is a joyful melody echoing off the brightly colored walls of a classroom. The room is alive with the vibrant energy of nine toddlers’ tiny feet pattering on the floor as they dance.
The sounds are familiar to Grace Smith, an early childhood education teacher at Tyler Day Nursery. She doesn’t flinch as one child tugs on her sleeve and another knocks over a cup. With practiced calm, she moves from one task to the next — changing...
The Patriot Talon •

REVIEW: Ballerini’s ‘Patterns’ Highlights Vulnerability, Introspection - The Patriot Talon

By ABIGAIL SMITH/Staff Writer
Kelsea Ballerini’s album “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat” became a TikTok sensation. Its raw account of the end of her five-year marriage captured listeners. The stripped-down vocals and deeply personal lyrics struck a chord, earning Ballerini a wave of new fans drawn to her authenticity and vulnerability.
Soon after, fans noticed “Outer Banks” star Chase Stokes attending her concerts. It sparked speculation about a new romance as he appeared to be a comforting presence...
The Patriot Talon •

Relatives of Victims Say Awareness Key to Slowing Fentanyl Deaths - The Patriot Talon

This is part of a reporting project drawing attention to the danger of fentanyl, use of Narcan to save lives and UT Tyler’s Narcan Access Initiative. See more coverage at The Patriot Talon on Instagram.
By ABIGAIL SMITH/Staff Writer 
Kole Hancock was a bright young man with a photographic memory and a sense of humor that lit up a room.
On Aug. 21, 2020, the Houston native became a tragic example of fentanyl’s deadly reach. He died, after unknowingly taking fentanyl, leaving his family shattered....
The Patriot Talon •

Nonprofit Uses Horse Riding to Help People with Disabilities - The Patriot Talon

By ABBY SMITH/Staff Writer
“I saw God today.”
Those are the words of Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor Tara Carper, who works at the Tyler nonprofit Starbrite.
“We opened our doors in February 2020. And we set out the mission from the very beginning to have a Christ-centered, or Christ-forward, facility, and to provide world-class therapeutic riding services to the East Texas residents,” said Chief Executive Officer Lauren Buford.
Starbrite offers therapeutic riding services for individual...